Publications

December 3, 2014
Article

Family Businesses Need One Person to Conquer and Another One to Rule

By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer

This article explores the different leadership styles needed in family businesses beyond the traditional "conqueror" archetype. While conquerors are growth-focused and hands-on, rulers are essential for managing complexity, focusing on governance, and addressing family... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Family Business; Management Skills

January 15, 2015
Article

Surviving in a Family Business When You're Not Part of the Family

By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer

Navigating office politics in a family-owned business can be challenging for non-family executives. Based on experience with various business families worldwide, this article offers strategies for success:

Play in your room: Non-family executives should... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Family and Family Relationships; Employees; Problems and Challenges; Talent and Talent Management

July 19, 2021
Article

Do Most Family Businesses Really Fail by the Third Generation?

By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer

Perhaps the most commonly-cited statistic about family businesses is their failure rates. Most articles or speeches about family businesses start with some version of the “three-generation rule,” which suggests that most don’t survive beyond three generations. But that... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Success; Perception

26 Apr 2011
Op-Ed

HBS Faculty Comment on Environmental Issues for Earth Day

that can secure our independence, going far beyond the $8 billion clean energy program proposed by the Obama Administration for 2011. It is time to stop paying a $175 billion annual ransom to a cartel that robs us of the resources we need... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Energy; Utilities

10 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Corporate Responsibility and the Environment: What is the Right Thing To Do?

School. We asked Vietor to discuss some of the findings in this e-mail interview. Manda Salls: What inspired you and your colleagues to write this book? Richard Vietor: Rob had some financial support for looking at CSR, and we got more... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

02 Apr 2001
What Do You Think?

Telecommuting: Dangerous to Health?

other…Technology robs us of the close contact we seek, and are reinforced by, in the learning cycle." But respondents who telecommute don't see it that clearly. Alan Carswell points out that: "One main characteristic of... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

14 Sep 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Google Engineer Deserved to be Fired by the CEO

them to open up and share their authentic selves, life stories, crucibles, and their hopes and dreams enable them to flourish and grow as leaders by feeling fully accepted. The real danger of labeling people by their external characteristics is that it View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

05 Oct 2016
What Do You Think?

Can the US Economy Regain the Growth and Prosperity of the Past?

he said "our best policy is to promote economic liberty so that individuals and corporations can adjust to changes in society, technology, the economy, the environment and politics stop trying to make government the engine of growth, and watch the economy soar.”... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

06 Oct 2014
Research & Ideas

Why Businesses Need a Language Strategy

choose a lingua franca to expect everyone in the organization to learn a sufficient amount of what may be a totally foreign language for them? A: Needless to say, you want the right people with the right skills on any job. Rob Kaplan and... View Details

Keywords: Re: Tsedal Neeley

07 Apr 2011
What Do You Think?

When Should the Public Sector Take Over in a Meltdown?

might be threatened. Rob Houck reminds us that considerations of potential legal liability often inhibit transparency in such cases. Should the public sector wait for an "invitation" for its intervention? The sentiment here... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Energy; Utilities

04 Jun 2001
Research & Ideas

RealNetworks, CNET, and Judo Strategy

RealNetworks founder Rob Glaser, a veteran of doing battle with much larger Microsoft, has some words of wisdom on competing against a market giant: "If you want to beat Bobby Fischer, don't play chess." Glaser, president and... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

16 May 2018
Research & Ideas

How Companies Managed Risk (and Even Benefitted) in World War Internment Camps

to their employers. Internment not only robbed companies of these key employees, it also made it more difficult for companies to recruit and retain workers for their European businesses. “Only [a] few of the old India experts have found... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Manufacturing

05 May 2010
What Do You Think?

Is Denial Endemic to Management?

issues to a new level by commenting, "It is tough to even have people agree on what is being denied ." Denial can be beneficial. Joline Godfrey waxed almost poetic in saying that "denial is a critical component of my ability to outwit the... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

01 Apr 2019
What Do You Think?

Does Our Bias Against Federal Deficits Need Rethinking?

favors the lower end by eliminating involuntary unemployment, raising wages, and increasing labor’s leverage to demand higher wages.” Rob Kautz and JohnfrmClevelnd took on the naysayers with extensive comments. “The long-bond desk is... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

06 Sep 2017
What Do You Think?

Summing Up: What Are the Limits of CEO Activism?

nuanced. This reflected what DDB identified as “a huge new challenge for CEO’s” and a complicated one, according to Rob Jones. But only three respondents addressed the question of limits on the practice. More about that below. Ernie... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

18 May 2015
Research & Ideas

Advertisers Get Serious About Playing With Their Brands

seemingly in mid-air (he later admitted the hoax) and "who's playing whom?" such as Toronto mayor Rob Ford's selfie-mania with constituents. Click to watch. Going Too Far Given the loose, spontaneous nature of social media marketing,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Advertising

21 Jun 2004
Research & Ideas

Music Downloads: Pirates—or Customers?

file sharing has robbed them of billions of dollars after four consecutive years of falling music sales, they criticized the team's methodology, which consisted of monitoring 1.75 million downloads over 17 weeks in 2002, scouring through... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Entertainment & Recreation; Music

January 8, 2016
Article

When You’ve Made Enough Money to Cause Family Tension

By: Josh Baron, Rob Lachenauer and Diane Coutu

This article discusses the transition successful business founders face when moving from intense business focus to managing significant wealth in their "Second Act." It highlights the shift towards creating a family enterprise, requiring shared financial... View Details

Keywords: Wealth; Family Business; Management Succession; Transition; Family and Family Relationships